The Chair
It’s not good or bad to have an independent chair at your viva. Independent chairs are not examiners. They’re often a senior member of staff from your institution who is mostly acting as an observer. In your experience of the...
Daily viva help for PhDs
It’s not good or bad to have an independent chair at your viva. Independent chairs are not examiners. They’re often a senior member of staff from your institution who is mostly acting as an observer. In your experience of the...
There are three types of people at your viva: those who will be there, those who might be there and those who may be there only if you agree. Your examiners WILL be there. Every candidate in the UK has...
It could be that you have an independent chair at your viva; they would be a member of staff from your university. Their role in the viva would be, largely, to observe what happens. There are lots of reasons you...
An independent chairperson for the viva can be really valuable. They act as an impartial observer, recording what happens. They can be a navigator carefully steering examiner or candidate away from fruitless discussions. They don’t decide the outcome but they...